A Race Study: Three Crises Affecting the Black Community According to Cornel West, Patricia Williams and Derrick Bell

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Abstract

It is difficult to approach the subject of race in a
responsible, academic manner. The difficulty in dealing with
racial matters magnifies when the researcher is a member of
the majority, distanced from the group being studied--it is
particularly problematic when the researcher is a white male.
Such is the case in the following essay.
It is necessary for a white male to use extreme caution
when examining the black community. Careless wording can be
interpreted as condescension or possibly racism on the part
of the author. It is problematic also for the white male to
assume a position of authority while studying blacks. If
this happens, a respectful writer will fall into the same
cycle of dominance that he may be trying to dismantle. It
will appear he is making demands and it is not acceptable for
the white male to make demands on the black community. In
the past, consequences for blacks not carrying out such
demands ended in further subjugation and death. Indeed, too
many demands already have been given.
The possibility of the occurrence of these
misinterpretations in the following essay has been erased by
the author's reliance on expert thinkers in the field of race
theory. This essay constructs itself not as a personal
exposition of what is wrong with the black community, but a
study of secondary sources. It is a study of three
contemporary black thinkers' views on the crises affecting
the black community.
The first two sections, Black Identity Crisis and Black
Leadership Crisis, are studies on the writings of Cornel
West. In certain areas, the thoughts of other writers are
utilized, but for the most part, it is West who helps to
structure the first two sections of this essay. The third
section, Black Rights Crisis, is an examination of the
teachings of two important theorists, Patricia Williams and
Derrick Bell. References to these three writers are made
throughout this essay. Their thoughts have been the
foundation for this entire project.